Many will have heard the name Elon Musk, though not all know exactly who he is or why he is such a famous public figure. The 46-year old South-African born entrepreneur, engineer and inventor is the founder of what is now known as PayPal, The Boring Company, neuro-technology company Neuralink and, perhaps more notably, Tesla and SpaceX. Tesla specializes in electrically powered automobiles and the manufacturing of solar panels, while SpaceX is an aerospace manufacturer and space transport service. Musk’s endeavors are said to be motivated by his desire to, both reduce global warming and avoid human extinction, through the study and implementation of sustainable energy; though they have also served to make him the 53rd richest person in the world, according to a survey conducted by Forbes in January of this year.

Among Musk’s more ambitious plans for the future of our world is his vision to make inter-city travel by rocket accessible, as well as colonizing Mars one day for when the planet Earth will no longer be habitable. Though these are bold and seemingly unreachable goals, Musk is confident in his ability to realize them, claiming that a one-way journey from London to New York could soon take just 29 minutes by a rocket, and that he will ideally start sending people to Mars in the year 2024 (just 6 years from now).

Earlier this January, Musk successfully launched project ‘Zuma’ into orbit, signalling another milestone in his quest for sustainable space travel. The main body of the rocket landed safely back on Earth without having suffered any damage, allowing it to be used again for future projects. This is certainly a win for Musk, who has long been working on the idea of ‘reusable rockets’ as a way of lowering the cost of space travel, revolutionizing its accessibility.